


Have a little faith

by archer_and_lionprince



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, M/M, One Shot, Pre-Movie: The Old Guard (2020), Temporary Character Death, Titanic AU, mentions of drowning and freezing to death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:42:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27702245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archer_and_lionprince/pseuds/archer_and_lionprince
Summary: Andy was right. They should have waited for her to finish her business and travel together to America. Then the three of them wouldn’t be on the Titanic -the unsinkable ship- which is currently on its way to the bottom of the ocean.A what if Joe, Nicky and Booker were on the Titanic AU
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova
Comments: 8
Kudos: 88





	Have a little faith

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so I hope I didn't make too many mistakes >.<

* * *

“Yusuf,” Nicky pushes himself closer to Joseph, pulling on the white lifeguard vest with a trembling hand.

A man brushes past them, pulling a young woman in a brown dress and woolen coat with him, her fiery red hair smacking against Joseph’s shoulder. The desperate screams of hundreds of people echo through the silence of a chilling April night on the ocean, filling the air with terror. 

“Yusuf,” Nicky says again, more insistent. “We need to find Sébastien.”

“I know, hayati,” Joseph replies, his grip tight on Nicky’s hand as he drags him through the crowd of people fleeing from the quickly rising water. A man stumbles and falls, and Nicky instinctively reaches down to help him up before he gets trampled, wrapping a hand around his elbow. As Nicky hauls him up, the crowd shifts in the small corridor and he feels his hand slipping from Joseph’s grasp.

Looking up, his heart seizes with panic when he can’t see him.

Stepping forward, Nicky searches frantically for familiar dark curls, “Joseph!” He makes it three steps before his feet hit water. Glancing at the wet floor, Nicky’s breath stutters in his chest. The ship is sinking far quicker than he anticipated. 

“Nicolò!” Joseph is suddenly in front of him, eyes wide with worry. “Nicolò. Are you alright?” Cold hands cup Nicky’s cheeks, “Please, don’t let go of my hand. If I lose you in this chaos…”

Nicky nods, placing his hands atop Joseph’s, slowly breathing in to quench his own rising panic. 

Andy was right. They should have waited for her to finish her business and travel together to America. Then the three of them wouldn’t be on the Titanic -the unsinkable ship- which is currently on its way to the bottom of the ocean.

“Come, let’s hope that the water hasn’t reached our room and that we find Sébastien there.” Joseph says, taking his hand again and intertwining their fingers. Squeezing Joseph’s hand, Nicky follows his husband.

Quickly, they run down the corridors leading to their room in the second-class area, something that Joseph and Sébastien insisted on when they decided to travel with such a magnificent ship. They round a corner, sidestepping a mother and her children before coming to a stop at an iron gate, cold water sloshing around their ankles.

“Sébastien!”

Sébastien turns away from the elderly man sitting on the ground and rushes to them, crashing against the closed gate. “Nicky! Joseph!” Sticking his arms through the bars, Sébastien fumbles to grasp their arms, tugging them close with a relieved sob.

Nicky pushes closer, feeling Joseph doing the same as he presses his face against the unyielding iron, cheeks barely brushing against Sébastien’s beard.

“Why is the gate locked?” Joseph snarls, knuckles turning white with the strength he grips at one of the bars.

“First class gets the first pick at the lifeboats,” Sébastien chuckles humorously. “The rest of us can drown with the rats, for all they care.”

Furious, Nicky pulls with Joseph on the gate but regardless of how much they try to force it open, it doesn’t budge, “No. No!” Nicky looks into Sébastien’s frightened blue eyes, the ocean water rushing around their knees by now. 

Screaming draws Nicky’s attention momentarily away, and when he returns his gaze to the younger man, he sees a resolve in the blue eyes that makes him grip Sébastien’s at jacket, knowing that look all too well. He parts his lips, ready to dissent what he knows will come.

“You need to go!”

“Absolutely not.” Nicky hisses over Joseph’s angry denial, holding tightly onto Sébastien. He knows that if they let go of him now, they might lose him to the ocean like they lost Quynh all those years ago. 

“You have to!” Sébastien shouts, desperation thick in his voice. “You’ll drown if you stay. I’ll find another way to the deck and I will find you there. _Please_ , you need to go.”

“Liar.”

Turning his head to Joseph, he sees tears gathering in the brown eyes.

 _They never should have boarded this ship._ Nicky can feel his body shaking, his own eyes burning with tears. He pulls Sébastien close, silver buttons clanking against the dark iron bar as he yanks the other into a bruising kiss. Fingers tangle into Nicky’s hair, tugging him closer.

Sébastien whimpers and tears find their way over Nicky’s cheeks.

Breaking the kiss, Nicky presses his forehead against Sébastien’s, looking intently into the blue eyes he came to love so much, “We’ll meet you where we watched the sunset on the first night.” Nicky says, breathing in the youngers scent of sandalwood and coffee. “Promise you’ll meet us there, Basti. _Promise me_.”

“I’ll be there,” Sébastien says wetly, “And if worse comes to worse, you at least know where the ship has sunk.” The implication alone has Nicky’s heart beating erratically, blood roaring in his ears.

The grip in his hair loosens, the calloused fingers brushing over his ear, then cheek and lips before vanishing completely as Sébastien leans back and turns to Joseph.

“We won’t leave this ship without you, Basti, so you better be there.” Joseph whispers, wrapping his arms as best as he can around the neck of their young lover and slotting their lips together, conveying words he doesn’t have time to say.

Parting from Joseph, Sébastien gives them a wobbly smile, “I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

Murmuring their own love for Sébastien, the man abruptly turns around, breaking Joseph’s trembling grip on his jacket and quickly strides back to the old man leaning against the wall. Numbly, they watch how he guides the man to climb on his back, bearing the weight with ease. Sébastien looks over his shoulder, blue eyes settling on them for precious seconds before he turns away.

Watching Sébastien walk away from them feels like the hardest thing Nicky’s ever done. Blindly he reaches for Joseph’s hand, grasping it tightly in fear of losing him, too, if he doesn’t anchor them together.

* * *

Silent tears drop down his chin and Nicky can feel the pressure of grief settling in his chest.

They can’t help anyone. There aren’t enough lifeboats on the Titanic to safe even half of the passengers, and most of the boats are already gone, barely filled with people from the first class.

“So many people will die tonight,” he whispers, pressing his back against Joseph’s chest, seeking warmth and comfort in the arms of his husband. Desperate voices fill the freezing night, some of them breaking off mid-scream. “And we can only watch, helpless to do anything.”

Joseph doesn’t say anything, hiding his face on Nicky’s shoulder, burying his cold nose on the strip of skin under Nicky’s ear and tightens his grip on the brunettes waist. 

The ship groans under their feet, the floor steepening further as water fills the ship faster and faster. It won’t be long until they can’t stand anymore. But even then, they will stay where they are. Waiting for their Sébastien to emerge from the bowels of the ship.

“Nicolò…”

“I know, tesoro,” Nicky says, blinking the tears away. Sébastien’s time to find them is running out.

Then, with a flicker of light, the power goes out.

“Shit. Hold tight, Nicky,” Joseph shouts, gripping the railing tightly as the ship shudders violently. “It’s breaking apart.”

* * *

“Yusuf?” Nicky mumbles, his tongue heavy and throat barely able to emit any sound. He is so cold. It feels like every cell in his body has turned to ice.

Peeling his eyes open, tiny specks of ice on his lashes graze his skin. His eyes need a moment to focus but when he blinks some of the tiredness away, he takes in the poor state his husband is in. His skin is ghastly pale with drops of ice clinging to his dark curls, nose buried deep inside the blanket they got when a lifeboat pulled them out of the water. “Tesoro?”

“St’l ‘live.” Joseph slurs, cracking his eyes open, meeting Nicky’s pale ones.

When the Titanic sunk and they got plunged into the water, the cold was all-consuming. But the fear of losing each other in the chaos burned stronger than the shards of cold burrowing inside their skin, threatening to take their breath away. Tying the life vests together gave them some reassurance, that would they both succumb to the cold they would not drift apart.

Joseph died once, before one of the lifeboats turned around, the screams of hundreds long since silenced. Watching one of the men he loves so fiercely freeze to death is something Nicky never wants to experience again. Seeing Joseph becoming paler and paler, words slowly dying on his blue lips and eyes closing as if to sleep only to stop breathing- Nicky never wants to feel so helpless again. And he knows that for the next months he will have nightmares of Joseph and Sébastien drowning and dying while he can do nothing to stop it.

“Turn around. There is no one left alive.” One of the Officers murmurs, yanking Nicky out of his drowsy state.

Sharing a desperate look with Joseph, Nicky forces his joints to move. “Y-You can’t stop. Someone must still be alive out there.” Sébastien. _Sébastien is still out there_.

“There is no one.” The Officer turns away, his cheeks pale, and motions for the rower to move them away, sending a fresh wave of panic over Nicky. With every stroke the distance between them and Sébastien is becoming greater.

“No, please.” Joseph gasps, pushing himself up. “Sébastien is still out there.”

With a heavy heart, Nicky shushes him gently, pressing close. He knows that the men won’t listen to them and there are a handful of other survivors on the boat who are still in danger of dying and in need of extra blankets. As hard as the truth is to swallow, Sébastien will survive another few hours in the water. “As soon as we can, we will steal a boat and search for him.” He whispers, guilt coursing through him. The immortals know of Sébastien’s resentment for freezing temperatures as it always reminds him of his days in Napoleon’s Grande Armée and his first death. And he will beg for Sébastien’s forgiveness, for leaving him in the cold once they have him back, safe in their arms. “I’m sorry, Joseph, but we don’t have a choice. We both can barely keep our eyes open, let alone hold an oar. And these people need warm blankets.”

Joseph squeezes his eyes shut, keening lowly. “He’s alone out there.”

“We’ll find him,” Nicky soothes, pressing his forehead against the dark curls. “We will find him, and we will bring him home.”

* * *

When the first ship arrives and takes them aboard, Nicky is sure that they are no longer in danger of dying of hypothermia, though Joseph’s lips still have a worrying blue tint to them.

Striding over the deck after helping two siblings in acquiring another blanket, Nicky blows on his fingers in hope to warm them up.

“Nicolò,” Joseph calls, walking around people huddling on the floor, brown blanket around his shoulders at Nicky’s insistence. “The lifeboats on port side are our best shot.” Joseph says, keeping his voice low as he guides the brunette to the railing at the stern. “No one will notice if one is missing.”

Nodding, Nicky presses against the railing, leaning far enough over it to get a look at the boats rocking in the water. “I found rope, and some clothes for Sébastien.”

“We still need water and food,” Joseph trembles against Nicky, eyes focused on the blue horizon. Following his gaze, Nicky discreetly links their pinkies together giving and seeking silent comfort.

The sea is calm, water sparkling in the morning sun. Looking at the surface of the water, Nicky searches for any indication about the tragedy that occurred last night. But there is none. It’s as if nothing happened at all.

His heart aches for the passengers drifting lifelessly in the water, just out of sight. And somewhere among them, Sébastien is as well.

Inevitably, Nicky’s thoughts turn to a far darker scenario. What if Sébastien didn’t get out? What if he is still trapped in the ship, drowning over and over like Quynh? What good does them the knowledge of where the Titanic has sunk when they have no hope to reach the shipwreck with the unfathomable and uncertain depths of the ocean?

“What if he is lost to us? Just like our sister?” Nicky voices his thoughts, needing to hear Joseph’s reassurance that their young lover is still within their reach.

“I’m confident that he made it on deck before the ship sunk.” Joseph replies after a moment of hesitation, turning his body away from the water to look at Nicky, their hands still linked together. “Hayati, have a little faith in Sébastien.”

Feeling a new flicker of hope surge through him, Nicky gives Joseph a fleeting smile. “You’re right, my love.”

“You will see, he-“ Joseph breaks off, jerking his hand free and gripping the front of Nicky’s shirt, eyes wide.

“Joseph?” Immediately concerned, Nicky cups his face, heart jumping in his throat when fresh tears started to spill over Joseph’s cheeks.

“Sébastien.” 

“What?” He asks, flinching when Joseph shouts for their lost Frenchman. Taking a step back as the dark-haired man tugs at his shirt, he almost loses his footing when a body slams into them. Arms sling around Nicky’s neck and he barely sees the light catching in blue eyes before he is pulled against a broad chest.

Nicky stills.

Breathing in the scent of salt water and something that is distinctively _Sébastien_ , Nicky _moves_ , gripping Sébastien by the back of his head, fingers twisting in the sandy-blond hair.

“Basti. _Sébastien_.”

Trembling, Nicky closes his burning eyes, his body pressed close against the two men he holds most dear to his heart. Lips press against the side of his head and Nicky’s heart races. French words merge with Arabic ones and Nicky feels like he can breathe again. _He found them._ He’s _safe_. 

He doesn’t know how long they stay like this, arms tight around each other and breaths intermingling, not caring for anyone who can see them. But when Joseph leans back and cups Sébastien’s cheek, Nicky hesitantly moves as well.

“Mon coeur,” Joseph says in wonder, eyes glistening, “We thought you still lost to us… How are you here? What happened on the Titanic? We were waiting for you.”

“Uh…well…”

Confused, but most of all concerned, Nicky watches Sébastien averting his eyes. Taking in the pale face, Nicky observes the other carefully, noticing specks of what must be blood on Sébastien’s collar before his gaze settles on something behind him. _That can’t be-_

“Are those- are those our _swords_?”

Ducking his head, the Frenchman lifts his shoulders in a half-shrug, “They’re important to you. And there was still time, so I went back after dropping the old man off at a lifeboat.”

“ _What_?”

Mouth agape, Nicky stares, speechless.

“You risked your life for- _You idiot!_ ” Joseph snaps, hand sliding to Sébastien’s neck and pushing their foreheads together, “We don’t care about the swords, we care about _you_.”

“Swords are replaceable, but you are not, tesoro,” Nicky swallows roughly, burrowing his face once more in Sébastien’s shoulder. He wants to shake him as much as he wishes he could kiss him. He wants to feel Sébastien’s lips on his skin, wants- no, needs to brush his hands over his body to reaffirm himself that the blue-eyed man is unhurt; He wishes he could take Joseph and Sébastien away from this place and hold them close, and never let go of them again. “Don’t risk your life for something like this. We would rather lose all of our possessions than having to live without you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!
> 
> Please don't repost my fics!


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